Middlesex County baseball season in review, 2012

Player of the year: There is nothing Christian Campbell can do on the baseball field that will amaze coach Mike Novak anymore.

After all, the Sayreville head coach has been watching his franchise player in action ever since he was in the second grade.

View full sizePatti Sapone/The Star-LedgerChristian Campbell of Sayreville is The Star-Ledger's Middlesex County baseball Player of the Year for 2012.

“When his mother called me to sign him up for our summer camp, I was hesitant because I thought that was too young since all the other kids were in fourth and fifth grades,’’ Novak said. “She kept telling me that he was very good, and since his older brother Jake was a camp regular who was pretty good himself, I said okay.’’

The result?

“He was as good as anyone on the field,’’ Novak said. “And even through Little League, he always excelled against the older kids, so I knew even back then that he would be special.’’

Fast forward nine years and Campbell, a junior, is still playing at a high level.

Performing on the pitcher’s mound, at shortstop and with a bat in his hands, Campbell’s overall game led Sayreville to a 25-3 record, the best in school history, and appearances in the Central Jersey, Group 4 and Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament finals.

As a lanky, 6-foot-1 right-hander, Campbell threw his fastball and sharp-breaking stuff to the tune of a 9-1 record with 87 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched and a 0.95 ERA.

At the plate, Campbell was equally potent as he hit .443 with 47 hits, including 19 for extra bases, scored 40 runs and drove in 19.

If there is one thing which still raises the eyebrows of Novak, it’s Campbell's durability.

“He’s arguably the best pitcher in the county and, in my opinion, the best overall player,’’ Novak said. “And the thing is, he never rests. He plays every inning of every game either pitching or playing shortstop, and that takes a toll on a young man's body. It really amazes me because we never gave him a rest and he never wanted one.’’

Campbell comes from a baseball family. His older brother Jake played at Sayreville and is now playing at Montclair State University. His father and three uncles all played baseball at Madison Central (now Old Bridge) and Campbell plays the sport year-round.

“It’s all we talk about at home,’’ Campbell said. “I’ve been playing since I was 5 and I just never get tired of it. I think it’s the toughest sport to play because of what you need to do physically and mentally.’’

Campbell, who has been offered scholarships to Rutgers and Seton Hall and is being recruited by Virginia, Monmouth and Old Dominion as well, wants to play the game forever.

“My goal is to play professional baseball,’’ he said. “It’s something I’ve worked my whole life for and will continue to do.’’Team of the year: Middlesex enjoyed the best season in school history at 25-3 and captured the school’s first Middlesex County/Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title.

After Middlesex, a tiny Group 2 school, beat Group 4 Sayreville in the GMC Tournament final, head coach Mike O’Donnell said, “Something like this may not ever happen again. It’s so tough for a small school to win a tournament like this against so many great teams in the GMC.’’

The Blue Jays had it all: Pitching, defense, hitting, hitting with power and clutch hitting.

View full sizeNoah K. Murray/The Star-LedgerAnthony Keri led Middlesex High from the mound.

Anthony Keri was the ace of the staff and finished 9-1. But the crafty Keri only struck out 38 batters all season, so defense had to be the name of the game and Middlesex played it well.

One of the keys was the play of shortstop Tyler Heisch, who worked hard over the summer after converting from the outfield. It was a little rough at first, but he eventually made a smooth transition. Batting .406 didn’t hurt.

Before the season started, first basemen Chris Petiya and Brennan Price both sustained serious injuries. Petitya played the entire season as the DH and all he did was lead the state in homers with 13, including several game-winners.

Also expected to be a front-line pitcher, Price returned in May, but he could only DH like Petiya, meaning he couldn’t get a lot of time. But in the GMC Tournament final, he showed what he could do by breaking the game open with a pinch-hit, grand slam to the opposite field.

Dan Berardi, meanwhile, was asked to fill the gap at first and he wound up hitting .458.

While all that was going on, Kyle Dotey was providing leadership behind the plate and hitting .500, third baseman Walter Byeleckie was hitting .361 and junior center fielder Tommy Marcinczyk was leading the way with his all-around play. A junior bound for Rutgers, Marcinczyk was arguably the best center fielder in the GMC, tracking everything down while hitting .473 with an on-base percentage of .616, in addition to scoring 40 runs and driving in 32.

Middlesex prepared for the postseason by loading up the schedule against bigger schools, going 7-1 against Middletown North, Ridge, Union, Old Bridge, South Plainfield, Colonia, Elizabeth and Millburn.

Coach of the year: Taking over at Dunellen last year, Chris Banos guided the team to a mark of 15-10. In 2012, Banos took the team to new heights as the Destroyers finished with a school-record mark of 24-4 and was an injured arm away from perhaps winning the school’s first sectional title since 1984.

Dunellen was led by a couple of special talents in Jeff Puckett and Casey Wenzel and a group of fundamentally sound players who bought into Banos’ hard-work approach, rolled through its Greater Middlesex Conference-Gold Division schedule with a 14-0 record, outscoring the opposition, 148-12.

When Dunellen, a Group 1 school, went outside of its division, the results were favorable as it beat Group 4 members Piscataway (10-0), Old Bridge (6-1) and North Brunswick (3-2) by a combined score of 19-3. Dunellen was the only team from Middlesex County to knock off the GMC Tournament champion Middlesex. Dunellen won that game, 12-6, at T.D. Bank Ballpark.

In 28 games, Dunellen averaged 8.9 runs per game while giving up 2.6.

Banos, 33, played baseball and basketball at Edison. A teacher in the Woodbridge school district, the Somerville resident is also the head boys basketball coach at Iselin Kennedy.

Phillipsburg jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first on a three-run homer by Anthony Ciavarella, who wound up striking out 18 batters in nine innings as the starter.

But Sayreville chipped away and tied the score at 3-3 in the sixth on a two-run single by No. 9 batter Corey Benko. Phillipsburg scored a run in the top of 13th, but Sayreville tied it in the bottom half of the inning as Benko came through again with a single to left.

After Sayreville recorded an out to start the top of the 14th, the rains came and made the Sayreville field unplayable. The game had to resume the following day on East Brunswick’s turf field and Sayreville won it in the 15th on a bloop hit which just hit the foul-line down the third base line by Anthony Ungano, the No. 8 hitter in the lineup.

Overlooked was the performance of relief pitcher Jimmy Kraivec, who went 7.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits with six strikeouts for Sayreville.Batter of the year: Every time he stepped to the plate, Nick Muhaof South Brunswick was a threat to get a hit and drive in a run.

When a back injury suffered in football knocked Muha, a promising catcher, out of action for the 2011 season, he returned as a left-fielder for his season and never lost his sweet stroke from the left side.

A power hitter who could use the whole field, Muha batted .526 with 17 extra base hits and 36 RBI and, in 76 at-bats, struck out just four times competing in a division (Red) known for its outstanding pitching.

Muha will head to Penn State as a student only to major in mechanical engineering.

Athlete of the year: Kyle Anderson of Woodbridge is a throwback athlete.

Competing at all the glamorous positions -- he was the quarterback on the football team, the point guard on the basketball team and the shortstop on the baseball team -- Anderson gave 100 percent for every second of every game and gave true meaning to the word leader.

Anderson will play football at The College of New Jersey.And the winners are: Sayreville captured the Red Division of the GMC title with a 13-1 division mark. Sayreville, which had won 12 games the previous year overall, was 25-3. Sayreville won its first division title since sharing the White in 2005.

After never winning a division crown before, Perth Amboy won its second straight White Divison title, going 12-2 and 20-6 overall.

Middlesex won its fourth straight Blue Division title, going 12-0 and 25-3 overall. Over that time, Middlesex is 85-21 and 40-4 in division play.

Dunellen swept the Gold Division title at 14-0, winning it for the first time since 2008.

Christian Campbell, Sayreville, 6-1, 165 pounds, Junior
The pitcher/shortstop did it all in leading Sayreville to a school-best 25-3 record. He batted .443 with 47 hits, including 19 for extra bases, scored 40 runs and drove in 19. On the mound, the right-hander finished 9-1 with three saves and a 0.95 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 66.1 innings.

Matt Rivera, Sayreville, 5-9, 155 pounds, Senior
An athletic center fielder, Rivera batted third in the order for a team which set a school record for wins with 25. The left-handed hitter batted .405 with an on-base percentage of .557. Rivera collected 32 hits, including 11 for extra bases, and drove in 22 runs. Rivera is headed to Rutgers as a student and may try to walk on.

Stephen Fortuna, Metuchen, 6-3, 220 pounds, Senior
The big, hard-throwing right-hander was simply dominant as he went 6-1 with a 0.47 ERA, striking out 77 and walking just 16 in 60 innings. A first baseman when he wasn’t pitching, the left-handed batter hit .449 with 31 hits, seven doubles and 27 RBI. He will play at Southern New Hampshire University.

Jose Hernandez, Perth Amboy, 5-10, 172 pounds, Senior
As a pitcher, the right-hander finished 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA and three saves while striking out 96 and walking just 16 in 60.2 innings. At the plate, Hernandez hit .475 with an on-base percentage of .516, collecting 28 hits, 17 for extra bases, and 29 RBI. Hernandez, who finished with over 100 career hits, was also 19-for-20 in stolen bases. Headed to Mercer College.

Fernando Rosa, Perth Amboy, 5-10, 173 pounds, Junior
The pitcher/shortstop was a big reason Perth Amboy won 20 games and captured the White Division crown of the Greater Middlesex Conference for the second straight season. He batted .440 with an on-base percentage of .543, while collecting 33 hits and 16 RBI and going 15-for-15 in stolen bases. On the mound, Rosa was 8-3 with two saves and a 1.27 ERA. The right-hander struck out 75 in 55 innings.

Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield, 5-10, 180 pounds, Senior
An outstanding catcher, Petriello also was one of big reasons South Plainfield went from a 4-5 start to a 19-9 finish. Petriello hit .417 with an on-base percentage of .566, scoring 31 runs with 41 hits, including 16 doubles, and driving in 19 runs. Will play for Rowan.

Mark Tomei, South Plainfield, 5-10, 180 pounds, Senior
A leadoff batter who came into the year with over 100 career hits, the center fielder hit .411 with an on-base percentage of .517. Tomei scored 36 runs, collected 39 hits, including 18 for extra bases, and had 18 RBI. Will play at Mercer.

Chris Petiya, Middlesex, 6-1, 230 pounds, Senior
An offensive lineman on the football team, he led the state in home runs with 13 and hit plenty of them in big games and big situations. Headed to Raritan Valley Community College, Petiya hit .298 with 28 hits, including 19 for extra bases, and 44 RBI with a slugging percentage of .787.

Tommy Marcinczyk, Middlesex, 5-9, 180 pounds, Junior
The Rutgers-bound center fielder/pitcher hit .473 with an on-base percentage of .615, he scored 40 runs, drove in 32 more, walked 31 times and stole 16 bases in leading Middlesex to a 25-3 record and the GMC Tournament title. The athletic Marcinczyk was 6-1 on the mound with a 1.93 ERA. He struck out 36 in 40 innings.

Nick Muha, South Brunswick, 6-1, 195 pounds, Senior
Once a catcher who missed all of last season with a back injury, the left fielder hit .526 with 40 hits, including 17 for extra bases, 36 RBI, 24 runs scored and five home runs. A left-handed hitter, Muha struck out just four times in 76 at-bats hitting out of the No. 5 hole. Muha is headed to Penn State but will not play baseball.

Sean Keenan, South Brunswick, 5-11, 170 pounds, Junior
A slick-fielding shortstop, Keenan batted cleanup for a team which hit .360. Keenan finished with an average of .458 with 38 hits, 22 RBI, 27 runs scored and just five strikeouts in 83 at-bats.

Jeff Puckett, Dunellen, 5-11, 170, Senior
The school’s best athlete was the cornerstone for a club which finished 24-4. A right fielder, Puckett hit .511 with 50 runs scored, collected 48 hits, 17 doubles and 36 RBI. Puckett, who was 20-for-21 in stolen bases, finished with a 33-game hitting streak, which dates back to his junior year. He will play football and possibly baseball at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania.

Casey Wenzel, Dunellen, 6-0, 170 pounds, Junior
The right-hander was 9-0 with a 0.72 ERA with 78 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 58 innings. An infielder and outfielder as well, Wenzel hit .429 with 33 hits, 14 doubles and 28 RBI. In the North 2, Group 1 semifinal against Hoboken, Wenzel pitched a two-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts.

Brandon Bielak, St. Joseph, 6-2, 175 pounds, Sophomore
The shortstop and pitcher from Sayreville did it all on the varsity level against very tough competition. As a hitter, he batted .344 with an on-base percentage of .422, collecting 33 hits and 15 RBI. On the mound, the right-hander was 5-1 with a 1.37 ERA. He fanned 51 in 46 innings and walked 19.